The Institute of Historical Research (IRH) of the University of Girona it is a unit dedicated to scientific research related to the study of the history from a comparative and long-term perspective. Approved by the Board of Trustees of the University of Girona on 1 February 2008, the Institute dates back to before then, having come about as a reorganisation of the previously existing structures that until then had given support to various research groups in the field of history. Precisely, it arose from the separation of the Jaume Vicens Vives History Department of the Institute of Catalan Language and Culture and from the dissolution of the Institute of Cultural Heritage. It was founded with the intention of promoting historical research and improving external projection.
The Institute of Historical Research is where the majority of the historical research that is conducted at the University of Girona takes place, from prehistory to contemporary times, with an integrating, cross-disciplinary goal, promoting long-term perspectives and comparative history. In order to develop its areas of knowledge and specific lines of research, the IRH is structured in three sections, each of which corresponds to one or more research groups recognised by the UdG: the Rural History Research Centre, the Archaeology and Prehistory Laboratory and the Ongoing Seminar of Political and Cultural Studies.